Shooting hoops pages from 37 2 w03 cjet

Franks and Katie Sticinski foul an Olympus player as she drives to the hoop. The Bulldogs controlled the ball on the play, but Olympus went on to win the game 74-65. Photo by PAUL KELLY of the Bulldog Press of Judge Memorial Catholic High School (Salt Lake City, Utah); Chris Sloan, adviser.

Junior Fannar Helgason goes in for two of his eight first-half points in the Panthers’ ­victory over Kennewick Jan. 18.

Helgason finished the game with a season-high 12 points and also grabbed seven rebounds.

The win over the Lions was the last game of the boys fourgame winning streak. Photo by GENA LAYMAN, The Apple Leaf, Wenatchee (Wash.) High School; Logan Aimone, adviser.

Photo by HUDSON BOYER, Highland High School (Gilbert, Ariz.); Stephanie Sapakie, adviser.

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Senior and three-year varsity basketball player Jacky Dustin said, “I would’ve sacrificed a year of basketball -– it’s a way to have fun. It also is one of the best ways to get school, family and friend problems off your mind for a while.” Photo by CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON, Yearling, Rolling Meadows High School (Ill.); Bill Leece, adviser.

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Kansas State’s Matt Siebrandt drives into the lane and shoots the ball over Nebraska’s Andrew Drevo during the first half of the game Jan. 22, 2003 in Manhattan Kan. Photo by KELLY GLASSCOCK.

Lipscomb’s Albert Hacker fouls Marques Hayden is fouled while shooting the ball by during firsthalf action Dec. 20, 2002. Photo by KELLY GLASSCOCK.

Kansas State’s Tim Ellis drives down the court in the final seconds of the first half against Colorado Feb. 11, 2003. Photo by KELLY GLASSCOCK.

Shooting Hoops

Get tight. Get sharp. And capture the emotion.

BY BRADLEY WILSON

A

fter Steve Wolf reflected on his education about shooting basketball, or any other sport for that matter, he said, “Tell them the only thing I was told: Get tight, get sharp.”

It’s advice that still holds true today especially in a fast-moving, indoor game like basketball.

Rick Dugan, a photographer in Hagerstown, Md., also has advice that seems simple: “focus and follow the ball and you might get lucky.”

But shooting basketball is more than luck. But getting a shot full of action and emotion is not all skill either.

POSITION DECISION “Where do I stand?”

It’s the question most beginning photographers want, and need, the answer to. The right answer is not, “in the stands.” With rare exceptions, it’s impossible to get quality pictures in the stands.

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First team all-district player Sarah Davis goes for the layup. She earned two points to tie the game. Davis scored 247 points during the season. Photo by RACHEL PERRYMAN, Cy-Falls High School (Houston, Texas); Lisa VanEtta, adviser.

under the hoop or in the corner facing the hoop,” said Peter Huoppi, photographer with the Burlington Free Press in Burlington, Vt. “While these are the

most common spots (and sometimes the only places you are allowed) you can make a good basketball photo from anywhere in the gym as long as you have patience.”

Huoppi said sometimes he has time to look for creative angles and sometimes he restricts himself to what he knows will work.

“If I’m shooting for a daily deadline, I restrict myself to the baseline, because you’re guaranteed to get some action down there. But if I have the time, I try to find new spots. This is one of the best things about shooting high school hoops: you can go almost anywhere you want,” he said.

“I like to climb up into the stands on the side or behind the hoop and shoot down with a longer lens. Sometimes I sit on the sideline at half court with a wide lens. In this particular position, patience is key because the action will be far away from you for the majority of the game. But then suddenly the players will drive right in front of you when COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY • 25

Photo by HUDSON BOYER, Highland High School (Gilbert, Ariz.); Stephanie Sapakie, adviser.

a guard loses the ball under the opponent’s full court press. The important thing is to get enough experience shooting from different angles that you have the confidence to know what works for you.”

EQUIPMENT CHOICE The next most popular question is usually, “What lens do you use?”

“If students don’t have an 80-200 f/2.8, they should get an 85 1.8,” said Mike McNamara, photographer, The Columbia Daily Tribune, Columbia, Missouri. “They should be shooting with the (lens with the widest) f/stop they can get their hands on. The 75-300 f/4-5.6 that grandma gave them for Christmas ain’t going to cut it.”

But there are solutions for schools that don’t have long, fast lenses.

Doug Wojcik, a photographer with the Stevens Point Journal, (Wisc.) said, “Not too many high schools have long lenses. So take the 50mm and get under the basket area. From there you can get loose ball action and the usual arm-pits. But get a bit of that action so at least you have something (shooting vertical helps a lot.) Watch for the blocking-out activity when players are going for rebounds, especially as the ball hits the rim from a free-throw shot.”

Jonathan Tauber, a student at Wake

Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., says it’s worth sacrificing the focal length of a lens for a wider aperture. He said he used a 50mm f/1.8 lens to shoot basketball.

“Sacrificing distance for aperture was, in my view, worth the cost,” he said.

Unfortunately this limits how tightly you can crop a photo in the camera so Tauber suggests standing under the rim of the basket for tight action.

Colin Corneau, a photographer at the Brandon Sun in Manitoba (Canada), said he prefers a mid-range zoom.

“I’ve always had really good luck shooting with an 80-200 in a corner. That way, I can get the action under the net, and players at half court approaching me. Basically, I can cover a lot of court from one location with one lens. It leaves me a lot of flexibility and ups my odds of capturing something that happens.”

And Vern White says he likes to use a wide-angle lens.

“Forget the long lens. Wide angle, under the basket.”

But Wojcik said students’ problems with equipment are not restricted to not having fast lenses (lenses with wide maximum apertures such as f/2.8).

“Sometimes they show up with point and shoots, other times with cameras that

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work on every third Tuesday following the second Monday that falls on an even-numbered day,” Wojcik said.

“Part of my education is telling them to get to know the camera, what it does, what the controls do so that it becomes a natural part of you. Trying to figure out how to change a setting or something while on assignment means you are missing great photo ops.”

FLASH USAGE Of course, most high-school basketball courts are not well lit so it is important to use high-speed film, such as Kodak TMax 3200 black-and-white film or Fuji 800 color film.

Or, the alternative, using a flash.

The short answer to “Can I use a flash?” is probably. In most high schools, there are no rules against it. In college or professional, forget it — unless you’ve made local arrangements for mounted strobes.

However, that does not make flash the best way to get stopped action.

Ideally, each school could set up strobes mounted on the ceiling or a high wall, like Sports Illustrated does. White Lightning and Dyna-light also make great portable sets which, while distracting to set up, are actually less distracting to the players than WINTER 2003

a hand-held flash.

Neil Brake, a photographer in Nashville, Tenn., says shooting highschool basketball can be challenging because of the low light and the necessity, sometimes, of using flash.

“If you do (use flash), try to balance it with the light that is available in the gym,” he said.

Gruver’s Lisa Johnson wipes a tear away as she holds the second place trophy Thursday morning at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

Photo by STEVEN DEARINGER, Amarillo Globe-News.

ACTION AND EMOTION Perhaps the key to good basketball shots is watching for competitive drama on the floor and strong expressions on the faces. Shooting basketball is more than simply photographing a person dribbling a ball down a court.

Even the National Basketball Association says, “Don’t just watch the ball. In basketball, there are a lot of interesting things away from the basketball.”

Get a handle on the technical and composition aspects of the profession.

Shoot tight. Make it sharp. Then move beyond that to capture emotion, the tension in the game, the thrill of victory and, inevitably, the agony of defeat. n

OTHER TIPS • At a time out, mainly the 60second version, possibly a shot of the coach with players gathered around.

• Watch the bench, not all action is on the court. Sometimes there are active benches, with kids jumping, cheering, head in hands. Move to that side of the court along the baseline and watch.

• Attend practices. Like the players working out to perfect their game, the photogs can practice to perfect his/her shooting ability. This way there is no pressure to getting the game shot.

The photog feels comfortable.

The coach and players get used to you being there — it helps.

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n Canyon’s Brooke Baughman wipes a tear away for Kalee Carey after the championship game Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

n Canyon’s Sierra Wilcox and Jordan Hampton celebrate together after the championship game Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Coach Joe Lombard said, “At the beginning of the season, we wanted to win district and then win state. When we got the No. 1 national ranking, that was the icing on the cake.” n Canyon’s Brooke Baughman tries to steal the ball away from Llano’s Kyndel Howell as Canyon coach Joe Lombard calls for a jump ball Thursday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. “When Brooke and Kalee are on, we’re very tough to beat, and they were on today,” Lombard said.

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Mission Accomplished

Canyon Lady Eagles win state championship Photo by STEVEN DEARINGER • Amarillo Globe-News

n Canyon’s Sierra Wilcox makes her cut on the net after the team’s 41-27 win over Ballinger Feb. 22 in the regional finals at the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock. n Canyon’s Kacee and Kalee Carey hug as they celebrate their win over Kountze 76-45 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

n The Canyon Lady Eagles perform the second of three chants before they played Dalhart Feb. 4. n Jessica Hartman and Kalee Carey walk out of the Canyon girls locker room as they prepare to leave for the state tournament in Austin. After winning the championship, coach Joe Lombard said, “The kids maintained their focus throughout. It always feels good to win state.”

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